Automatic feeder for printing-presses



C. L. WELSH. AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTI-NG PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1. I919.

1,360,699. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

4 SHEETSSHEET 1- WITNESS INVENTOI.

C. L. WELSH.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. I, I919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2;

' ITNESS INVENTOR. 7%Ffif/wn? 544 {M C. L. WELSH.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, I919.

1,360,699. Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

WITNESS .V INVENTOR C. L. WELSH.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING PRESSES.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1, IQIQ. 1,36,699. Patented NOV. 30, 1920,

v 4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

1 Q 5- 137. VI//// WITNESS INVENTOH.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLYDE L. WELSH, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC FEEDER FOR PRINTING-PRES SES.

1,36tl,h399.

Application filed October 1,

Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and 7 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Feeders for Printing-Presses, of which the fol'lowin g is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in printing presses and more particularly to an attachment therefor for automatically feeding sheets of paper to the press.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device of the character described and in a manner as hereinafter set forth, which will automatically convey sheets of paper, singly, from the top of a stack of sheets to the position for printing.

Another important object of this inven tion is to provide adevice for the purpose set forth which will automatically throw the printing mechanism to an inoperative position when the sheets of paper in the stack are exhausted, or the device, for some cause or other, has failed to place a sheet in the printing position.

Further objects of this invention are to provide a device'of the type specified, which is simple in its construction and arrange-- ment, strong, durable and eflicient in its use, readily attached to a press of the usual construction, and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

To the accomplishment of these and such other objects as may hereinafter appear the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown an embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and whlch form a portion of this specification:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with portions broken away, of a printing press havlng Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920. 1919. Serial No. $7,767.

mounted thereon a sheet feeding attachment in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the printing press with portions thereof, broken away.

F 1g. 4 is a rear view of the platen plate with portions broken away.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line V-V,

Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top View ofthe slide bar.

F ig. 7 is a carriage.

Fig. 8 is a side view of the slide bar operating elements. 7

Fig. 9 is a bottom view thereof.

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of the throw off lever and associated parts.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary side view of sheet stack elevating elements.

Referring more in detail to the drawings there is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a printing press of the ordinary well known construction,.to which the sheet feeding apparatus, embodiied in the invention, has been-incorporate The side frames 1 and 2 are formed with top plan view of the paper the vertically extending members 3 and 4:

of sheets 7 is carried. The feed table 6 is vertically shiftable on the guide members 8 and 9, respectively mounted on the inner walls of the members 3 and 4:.

The feed table 6 is shifted vertically on the guide membersv 8 and 9 by the operation of the screw member 10 which is swivelly attached to the under side of the feed table '6 and threadably engaged in the elevating ing 19 and hinged as at 20, carries at its front end the spring actuated pawl 21in engagement with the ratchet nut 15, while the other end of the rod 18 is pivotally connected, as at 22 to the bed 23 of the press. The reciprocating movement of the bed 23, during the printing operation, will actuate the pawl 21 and the ratchet nut 15 to rotate the screw member 10 and intermittently elevate the feed table 6.

The elevating bar 11 is provided with the depending legs 24 adapted to be engaged by the rocker 25 for intermittently elevating the feed table 6 for the purpose hereinafter fully explained. Vertically extending rods 26, for keeping the stack of sheets 7 in alinement, are adjustably mounted on the elevating bar 11 and extend through apertures 27 in the feed table 6.

The paper carriage 5 comprises a pair of shafts 28 and 29 connected together by the cross bars 30 and 31. Each of the shafts 28 and 29 is provided with the wheels 32, one adjacent either end thereof, and mounted for rotation thereon. The carriage 5 is adapted to travel on a track formed by the upper and rear edges of the members 3 and 4 of the side frames 1 and 2, and is prevented from lateral movement by the flanges 33 on the outer ends of the wheels 32.

The carriage 5 is securely held on the track by the U-shaped support 34 hingedlyconnected to the side frames 1 and 2. The

vertical arms 35 are formed from tubing or 36 slidably mounted therein. The upper ends of the tensioning members 36 are'pivotally connected, as at 37, to respective cross bars 30 and 31. T

Air conduit pipes'38 and 39 are adj ustably carried by the bracket 40 which is transversely supported on the shafts.28 and 29. The front pipe 39 is slidably mounted in the bracket 40 and is held in the normal position by the action of the spring 41, carried on the pipe 39. Each of the conduit pipes 38- .and 39 is formed with a pair of depending suction cups 44, with which a sheet at a time is picked up from the stack of sheets 7.

The grippers 42 are carried by the gripper bar 42 and are of the usual construction with the exception of their upper ends 43 which are adapted to register with and form acontinuation of the carriage track when the press is in the open position. i

The platen plate 45 comprises a rectangular frame consisting of the top member 46,

side members 47 and 48, and the lower member 49. The lower ends of the side members 47 and 48 are slotted, as at 50, to permit the adjustment of the plate 45 to the gripper bar 42 to which it is attached, to move, therewith, together with the grippers 42. A platen sheet 51 is carried within the frame and is secured to the lower member 49 thereof and to the bar 52, adjacent the supper end of the frame. The sheet to be printed b the press is carried on this platen sheet 51 uring the printing operation.

A pair of spring actuated clamping members 53 are hingedly connected, as at 54, to the top member 46, and are provided for the purpose of holding the sheet of paper against the platen sheet 51 during the printing operation. The top member 46 carries a sliding member 55, having cut out portions 56 through which the clamping members 53 are connected to the top member 46.

F ixedly secured to the sliding member 55, below the cut out portion 56 and adjacent to the clamping members 53, are the wedgeshaped members or cams 57 and 57 which are adapted to engage and raise the clamping members 53 when the sliding member 55 is moved horizontally upon the top member 46 bythe action of the spring controlled clamp operating members 58 and 59, which are angularly disposed with respect to each other and depend from the transversely mounted bracket 60 on the shafts 28 and 29.

Can 57 on the sliding member 55 is arranged or positioned in the path'of travel of the operating members 58 and 59 on the carriage 5, so that when the carriage travels in the rearward direction, after picking up a sheet, the operating member 58 will engage the cam 57, and the former being disposed angularly will force the sliding member 55 to move horizontally upon the top member 46 and raise the clampin members 53 to permit the release of the printed sheet until now held by the said members 53.

The forward or return movement of the carriage 5 will cause the operating member 59 to engage the cam 57 and again raise the clamping members 53, this time to permit the attachment of the'sheet thereunder for the next printing operation. The action of the spring, 65, connected with the sliding member=55 and with the top member 46, will cause the return of the sliding member 55 to the normal position.

The carriage operating rod 61 is slidably connected, as at 63, in the bracket 66 which. is attached to the rear end of the side arm 62, while the other end is pivotally connected, as

at 64, to one of thearms 35, of the U-shaped ward position permitted by the bar 69.

, the carriage 5 has reached the extreme for- V The rear end 72 of the operating rod 61 eeoeaa is provided with the cotter 73 and extends beyond the bracket 66 during the printing operation to permit the stopping of the carriage 5, momentarily, while a sheet is picked up by the suction cups 44.

The air pipes 38 and 39 are connected, as at 75, with flexible air tubes 74 which attach to a suitable suction cylinder 76. The air pipe 39 is always open during the opera tion of the press, but the pipe 38 is provided with the valve 77 which is actuated by the cam 78 mounted on the upper member 3 and arranged in the path of travel of the valve 77 to close said valve during the rearward movement of the carriage 5, and to open said valve during the forward movement of the carriage for the purpose later explained.

To prevent the press from printing if for some reason a sheet has not been placed in position for printing upon the platen plate 45, an electric magnet 7 9 is mounted upon the side frame 3, which when energized is adapted to engage and actuate the rod 80 to operate the throw off lever 81 to prevent the printing operation.

The rod 80 is pivotally connected, as at 82, to the bed 23 and is formed at. its forward end with a depending wider portion 83, and carries on its upper face the vertically extending pins 84 and 85, respectively.

The throw off lever 81 is provided with the rods 86 and 87, which extend at right angles with respect to the lever 81 and parallel with each other.-,The forward end of the rod 80 is adapted to slide intermediate of the said rods 86 and 87, when the rod 80 is moved horizontally when actuated by the reciprocal movement of the bed 23 during the printing operation.

A contact plate 88 is secured to the bar 52 directly beneath one of the clamping members 53 and is connected by one of the circuit Wires 89 to the magnet 79, while the other circuit wire 90 connects the said clamping member with the magnet 79.

\Vhen a sheet of paper is positioned upon the platen plate 45 and is secured thereon by the clamping members, the said sheet will break the circuit by acting as an insulation between said clamping member and the contact plate 88, but when no sheet is positioned between said clamping member and the plate 88 the circuit is closed and the magnet energized.

During the operation of the press, the forward end of the rod 80 will slide idly upon the rod 87 and owing to the wide forward end 83 thereof, will at times slidably engage the magnet 79. When, however, the wide forward end 83 has moved to a position forward of the rod 87. the rod 80 will drop slightly owing to its narrower rear portion 91 and permit the pin 84 to pass underthe rod 86 without actuating the throw oil lever 81. Should no sheet be in position for printing, however, the magnet 79 wbuld be energized and the rod 80 would be held against it and not permitted to drop, thereby causing the pin 84 to engage the rod 86 and actuate the throw off lever 81 to prevent the printing of the press. The return movement of the rod 80 would cause the pin to engage the rod 86 and again actuate the throw off lever 81 to permit the printing operation.

For properly alining the sheet upon the platen plate 45 for printing an adjustable guide member 92 is carried by the side member 48 against which the paper sheet is positioned by the sliding movement of the said conduitpipe 39 when said guide member 48 is engaged by the adjustable operating member 93 carried by the conduit pipe 39. T he guide member 92 is arranged in the path of travel of the operating member 93 to engage same during the operation of the press.

In practice the operation of the sheet feeding device is as follows: Assuming that all parts of the device are as shown in Fig. l. of the drawing, the press is printing a sheet on the platen plate 45, and a sheet is attached to the suction cups 44.

As soon as the bed 23 begins to move. rearwardly. the operating rod 81, being attached through the bracket 88 to the side arm 62, will cause the carriage-5, carrying a sheet of paper, to move rearwardly on the track formed by the top and rear edges of the upper members 3 and 4.

The grippers 42 and the platen plate 45, being carried by the gripper bar 42, the rearward movement of the bed 23,'in the usual manner, will cause the grippers 42 together with the platen plate 45'to move rearwardly, and bring the former to a position so that the ends 43 thereof register with and form a continuation of the track formed by the rear edges of the upper members 3 and 4.

Upon the rearward travel of the carriage 5. the cam 78, mounted on the side of the upper member 3 in the path of travel of 'the valve 77, will close the latter, and the sheet being carried at this time will be secured only by the suction cups on the air pipe 39, the suction cups on the air pipe 38 being released when valve '77 was closed.

'Upon still further travel of the carriage 5, the clamp operating member 58 will engage and actuate the cam 57 to horizontally move the sliding member 55 upon the upper member 46, and cause the cams 57 and 57 to raise the clamping members and release the printed sheet until now held by them, and permit said sheet to pass from the press. After the clamp operating member 58 has passed the cam 57, the sliding member will'return to its normal position by the action of the spring 85.

The carriage 5, now having reached its extreme rearward movement, will b'eginits return movement still carrying the sheet secured only by the suction cups on the air pipe 39. When the cam operating member 59 engages the cam 57 the clamplng members 53 will again be raised, this time for the reception of the top portion of said sheet. Simultaneous with the operation of the clamping members 53 in securing the sheet the operating member 93 will have engaged the guide member 92 and moved the air conduit pipe 39, with said sheet, horizontally against the said guide member 92. The sheet now being positioned on the platen plate 45, the clamping members 53 will securely hold same 1n alined positiomafter the operating member 59 haspassed and released the cam 57, and the suction cups on the conduit pipe 39 have disengaged said sheet by'the return travel of the carriage, though the air suction in said conduit pipe 39 has not been shut off. The action of the spring 41 will return the air conduit 39 to its normal position. When the valve 77 passes the cam 78 on the return travel of the carria e, the said cam 78 will again actuate the va ve 77 to open same.

The return or forward movement of the bed 23 will actuate the rod 18 which in conjunction with the pawl 21 and the nut 15, will cause a slight rotation -of the screw member 10, and the latter being threadably engaged in the elevating bar 11, will move vertically upward and carry therewith the feed table 6 and stack of sheets 7 carried thereon. It is intended that the elevation of the stack of sheets 7- by the screw member 10" will be such that the top sheet ofpaper' will at all times be the same distance from the suction cups 44 during'the operation of the ress.

Vi hen the carriage has reached its extreme forward or return position, the carriage will stop momentarily, due to the action of the bar 69 in conjunction with the spring 67 on the rod 61, and to the play permitte by the extension of the rod 61. through the bracket 66.

While the carriage is in the forward stopped position the press will be in the process 0 printing and the rocker 25, of the press, will have engaged the le 24 of the elevating bar 11, and lift the eed table 6,

screw member 10 attached tl1ereto,.and the stack of sheets 7, vertically upward, so that the top sheet of the stack is pressed against and picked up by the suction cups 44. Fur

ther functioning of the rocker 25 will cause the feed table- 6, screw member 10 and stack of sheets 7 to again assume their normal positions,,and the operation of the feeder and press is repeated as hereinbefore described.

Should it happen that no sheet has been picked up by the suction cups 44, the mag net 79 will be energizedwhen the printed sheet is released from under the clamping members 53 during therearward travel of the carriage due to the contact made by the clamping member onthe contact plate 88. Upon the return or forward movement of the carriage, no sheet being carried thereby,

the contact between the clamping member and the contact plate 88 is maintained and the circuit not broken. The magnet 79. re-

maining energized,'the rod 80, instead of.

'rearwardly, the pin 85.0n the rod will again actuate the throw ofl lever 81 to perm1t the printing operation provided the circuit is broken by a sheet having been placed between the clamping member and the contact plate 88, thereby deenergizing the magnet 79 and releasing the rod 80 therefrom to again slide normally upon the rod 87.

Due to the operation of the tensioning members 36, slidably mounted in the vertical arms 35 of the U-shaped support 34, the carriage '5, will at all times tensionally engage the track on which it is adapted to travel, and will act as a compensating element for the radial variations and irregularities of the track relative to the pivoted connection of said U-shaped support.

What I claim is:

1. A sheet feeding mechanism for printing presses comprising the combination with a platen plate and sheet clamps associated therewith, of a track extending toward the platen plate, a carriage traveling on the track, shifting means for the carriage, suction devices on the carriage for gripping and transporting a sheet to position same on the platen plate, means on the carriage to operate the clamps to engage and hold the sheet in position, and means fo'radjusting presses comprising a traveling carriage, in position 011 the platen plate, and means a platen plate, suction devices on the carfor adjusting the position of the sheet With riage for gripping and transporting a sheet respect to the platen plate on the return 10 to position the latter with respect to the movement of thecarriage.

platen plate, a duplex feed mechanism asso- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature. ciated with the suction devices, means operated by the carriage for clamping the sheet CLYDE WELSH. 

